1. Bonnie’s
Williamsburg
Cantonese culinary traditions are the foundation of so much of what we know and love about Chinese American food, and at Bonnie’s, chef-owner Calvin Eng is pushing them forward — and paying tribute to his mom, Bonnie, in the process. The former Win Son chef de cuisine garnishes his steamed egg custard with Sungold tomatoes in the summer and clams and black bean sauce in the winter. His Hong Kong-style macaroni soup, a staple of cha chaan teng, or Hong Kong-style cafes, subs crispy mortadella for cubed luncheon meat and a Parmesan-boosted broth for the usual chicken stock. The most showstopping dish on the menu, however, might be Eng’s whole deboned rainbow trout that’s been refashioned into savory fish-cake slices — something he used to make with his mom. And after a lengthy delay (thanks, National Grid), the wait for Bonnie’s to open is finally over.
Note: Reservations are now available for dining beginning on Dec. 10. Find out more about Bonnie’s menu, dish by dish, here.